Talking to: Midnight Filter
Bristol based Alt-Rock duo, Midnight Filter, are not ones to be compartmentalised. Establishing themselves as genre transcendent, their experimentation with various sounds and techniques has allowed the band to naturally progress with every release.
Growing up around the sounds of The Kooks, Nirvana and Greenday, this dynamic paring has cultivated their sound with the aim to create real music that comes from the heart. Their emotive lyricism, uncharted arrangements and human touch really makes Midnight Filter a band to watch.
Ahead of their new release, Marrionette, we had the chance to talk with Harry and Ben (albeit virtually) about their motivations as artists, their thoughts on Bristol’s music scene and some advice for aspiring artists to live by.
But before we get stuck in, after 2 years of regeneration, here is their latest release. Produced during the peak of lockdown and driven by the many societal events that took place during the time of writing, most namely the Black Lives Matter movement, I introduce to you, Marionette.
So, who is Midnight Filter? Can you tell us a bit about yourselves, how you formed and what your intentions are as artists?
Harry: We met in college in 2015 where we formed our first band. It was early days in writing for us, but we just clicked; we’ve been making music together ever since. We worked on many projects, in different genres and bands until we formed Midnight Filter in late 2018. There wasn’t really an end goal, but we did know that we wanted to stick true to ourselves with no limitations. We knew that we were still learning and we still are with everything we do - whether that be writing, production or just discovering weird sounds through experimentation. We try not to label ourselves because the next thing we make could be poles apart from the last. Saying that, there will always be elements that tie us back to our sound.
In your own words, how would you describe your sound to people who haven’t heard of Midnight Filter before? Is there anything that’s inspired your sound?
Harry: I asked this question to Ben and we just stared at each other in silence for 5 minutes and came to the conclusion that we’re not certain. Electro-Alt-DarkRock-Indie? Something along those lines...
Can you tell us a bit about your musical upbringing?
Harry: My first favourite album was first Gorillaz album - still is one of my favourite albums. I loved Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks. My dad introduced me to a lot of music that I only really appreciated when I got a bit older like Radiohead, The Cure and a lot of trip-hop and techno/acid. As a teen I got a bit more into heavier music, I loved Bring Me The Horizon, Funeral For A Friend and Alexisonfire, and a load of other bands. In my late teens I got more into melodic tunes.
Ben: I’ll be honest the first CD I ever owned was Westlife’s self-titled album! I must have been around five at the time, so don’t judge me please... I started playing guitar when I was four and haven’t stopped since. My dad used to listen to old-school garage, but I do remember listening to Nirvana’s album Nevermind with my mum to and from school. In my early teens I loved Greenday, then in college got more into Heavy metal/screamo. I then got really into the Kooks, whose chord progressions heavily influenced the way I wrote songs.
What do you both play? Do you both write and produce your own music? Any collaborators?
Harry: We both play a bit of everything, there’s no set roles in the writing. Sometimes I sing, sometimes Ben sings...or both. Sometimes one of us will write a song and we’ll work on it and sometimes we’ll start at the bottom together. I produce all the tunes at home and love to experiment. We enjoy making music with our friends as well, you’ll find some of our songs feature other voices and sounds. We love collaborating with creative people and I think this is something that we’ll do a lot more of in the future. We’d love to work with some of Bristol’s talent.
Ben: I mainly play guitar, but have dabbled in quite a few instruments along the way. I tend to leave Harry to do his mixing wizardry, but producing is something that I am getting more and more interested in. I always love to gain experience and knowledge by collaborating on other people’s tracks.
Just out of curiosity, what software do you use to produce? Do you have a preference and why?
Harry: I use both Ableton and Logic to produce. I’d say they're both useful for different things. My preference is Ableton, although I’m gaining more of a liking towards Logic.
What inspired you both to make music? Tell us what motivates you and why?
Harry: Music was an outlet for me, especially in my teens. It helped me get through every day. I think a lot of our earlier material was about things that we had experienced and was quite mental health orientated. It felt therapeutic to put my feelings into melodies. It left a sense of clarity after. More recently, most of the songs I write are trying to raise awareness for what everyone already knows - but chooses to ignore.
Ben: When I was three, my Grandad started playing guitar and I think that was what inspired me to start playing. I still remember the first song I was taught! (Buzzy Bee). As I got older, my love for the guitar and music in general got deeper. I want people to see our music the way we see other people’s music, to understand the meaning behind it and relate that to their own lives.
So, you’ve just released your new EP, Marionette. Can tell us a bit about the making of this?
Harry: The idea for Marionette came about during the early days of the first lockdown. It was a scary time but I remember feeling very peaceful. I had a lot of hope that things would get better, it felt like nature was asking us to rethink our ways. We were shocked by how big companies were benefiting from the lockdowns and disgusted by the news of George Floyd. The song was a response to just how insane the world suddenly felt. I think the song is relevant now more than ever with everything that’s been going on recently.
Have you found it difficult to maintain creativity or motivation throughout lockdown? How have you dealt with this?
Harry: I think this lockdown has given us the time to really fall back in love with Midnight Filter. I think there was a stage where we were a little bit confused about everything. But working on new music has reminded us of why we love it.
Ben: I think it’s been pretty helpful for us as we’ve had more time to work on Marionette’s release. We have been able to think about where we want to take Midnight Filter with our next projects and releases.
It sounds like Midnight Filter have definitely benefited from our time in isolation. Can you notice any difference in your sound now compared to pre-covid?
Harry: I’d say there’s been a slight evolution in our sound. We have written plenty of other songs during lockdown where we’ve tried out a lot of different stuff.
How do you find the music scene in Bristol?
Ben: We moved to Bristol almost 2 years ago to study at BIMM. Having played with a range of artists I can confidently say that Bristol has one of the most vibrant and supportive music scenes in the UK. There are places for every genre and plenty of venues to experiment with different genres. At the moment we have had to concentrate on building our online audience due to the lockdown. We have had a great reception to our Facebook and Instagram live streams, and we will continue to do them.
Have you had a chance to perform anywhere in Bristol?
Ben: We haven’t really had the chance to play any gigs yet, but we have both experienced lots of venues around Bristol. I have played in university project bands at the Exchange and The Fleece, which were both really cool venues. Harry put on his first Bristol gig at the Exchange last February before the first lockdown which sold out!
Any plans to gig post covid?
Harry: We definitely have plans to play some gigs in the future. It’s something we’re working towards.
With practically everything moving online due to social distancing, especially the music industry, how are you finding the online music scene at the moment? Can you give any advice to aspiring artists or bands that would help cut through all the noise?
Harry: I think the music scene will always find a way to mould into any scenario. If you’re a new artist, I think the most important thing is just to be genuine, don’t try to put on some facade. Interact and support your local scene as much as possible, get talking to people and go to as many gigs as you can...when they’re back up and running of course. Try and find some bands you really like in your local scene and get talking to them, you may be surprised by how people respond.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Harry: So many! We’re always listening and staying up to date with new stuff. Some things for me include Lebanon Hanover, Metronomy, Sorry, Portishead, MGMT.
Ben: Radiohead, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Kraftwerk, The Cure, The Kooks, Hanz Zimmer.
What’s next for Midnight Filter?
Harry: We have some cool ideas in the pipeline. We plan to continue working on new music and creating new content for our socials. Everything we do is bigger than the last, so you can expect some big things to come!
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